Avatar: The Last Airbender Flashback: "The Swamp" Review

Our look back at season two takes us deep into the living swamp.

This episode was an interesting concept, with some interesting characters. The idea behind our main characters seeing what means most to them, except for Aang who sees a person he has never seen was intriguing and great to watch. But, it wasn't enough for me to enjoy it the way I have enjoyed season two thus far.

I was expecting much more from what I saw in the opening scene of this episode, but as the show went on, I found myself feeling more and more let down. Everything leading up to the final battle with the gang and a giant swamp monster was ho-hum. It was cool seeing the three of them work together to defeat the man in the swamp suit, but again I thought the whole episode lacked substance.

Also, what kind of Benders were the swamp people? Air, Water, Swamp? I never got a clear sense of whom they truly were. During the Apa chance scene I became confused, and then watching the giant swamp monster in action, I had no idea how they were doing what they did. For a show that pays so much attention to detail and story, they really fell short in that department.

This wasn't so much a filler episode because it did have purpose, but that purpose took 20 minutes to get to. 20 minutes that could have been cut out so you would have a nice tight 4-minute episode. Plus it was a little too hippie preachy for my liking. I love the Earth as much as the next guy, but I don't need a whole episode telling me about it, I already saw An Inconvenient Truth.

Don't get me wrong, then episode wasn't horrible by any means, it just wasn't as good as the previous episodes in season two, thus giving it the appearance of a mediocre episode, and leaving (to quote the late great George Carlin a "Hippie-Dippy" taste in my mouth.